BC Floods & Shipping Times
On Wednesday November 17th British Columbia declared a state of emergency.
“In a matter of days, extreme rain swamped rivers and farmland across southern B.C. and triggered mudslides that blocked every major highway connecting the Lower Mainland to the rest of the country. Nearly 20,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes and thousands of animals have died. Dozens of volunteers have stepped up to help their communities however they can.” - Rhianna Schmunk, Nov 20th on CBC news.
We are living in the era of climate change and extreme weather. The flooding is impacted tens of thousands of people in the area we live and work. Several cities have been evacuated and many of them are still not able to return home. Farmlands and businesses all over the province have completely collapsed. Supply chains already suffering due to COVID-19, power outages in China now have an added layer of local devastation. To make matters worse, there are predictions that more storms are on the horizon. At this point, it is hard to overstate the impact of the flooding in BC.
Image credit: A collapsed bridge on the Coquihalla Highway, which links the Lower Mainland to the B.C. Interior, is seen after the flooding and washouts. (The Canadian Press)
What Does This Mean?
It will take your LÜMI order longer to get to you. How long? We don’t know. Highways have been taken out by mudslides, and we do not know when the flow of goods will start again and when they do, delivery services will be limited. We are based on Vancouver Island and most of our orders move through the affected area to get to you. Please be patient with us as we do our best to be a start-up operating in extreme times. Here is a link to the status update from Canada Post.
Our hearts go out to our friends and family living through the worst climate disasters in our region in a century. There are several charities that are helping people and animals affected. Please give generously to the Canadian Red Cross, our friends at Bass Coast who are focusing their efforts on supporting their local indigenous community, and you can donate to the SPCA to support the animals affected by the storms.